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Man charged with assaulting author Colum McCann

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut man has been charged with assaulting novelist Colum McCann last month outside a hotel in New Haven.

Police said Tuesday that 34-year-old Michael Mott, of Oxford, was charged with assault in the June 28 encounter outside the Study Hotel.

Police say witness accounts suggest McCann tried to help a woman involved in a dispute in the hotel lobby. The "Let the Great World Spin" author was treated for significant facial injuries at Yale-New Haven Hospital.

Police say Mott confessed to assaulting McCann. A man who answered a phone listed with his address declined to comment.

Police say Mott had a dispute with his wife and McCann apparently asked if she needed help. Police say Mott punched McCann, who lost consciousness.